Expert advice: How to get full volume hair

Style director Michael Douglas shows you the way to big, sexy, full-body locks

Hair looking more flat than fab? Fear not! To celebrate 90 years of Silvikrin, stylist to the stars Michael Douglas is sharing his tips on the age-old challenge of adding oomph. Limp hair days are history!

Best haircuts for volume

Looking for a hairstyle that creates an illusion of thickness? There are loads to choose from. Good options including a one length bob, a shorter style with a sweeping fringe or a graduated bob.

Anything to shoulder-length is fine but it’s best not to grow fine hair too long.

And be careful of those layers. If you don’t want a one-length style, just ask your hairdresser to put in a few layers at the bottom.

Best blow dry for volume

Here’s Michael’s step-by-step guide to a great blow dry:

• 1.Shampoo, condition and towel dry the hair. Then rough dry about 50% of the moisture from the hair with a hair dryer.
• 2.Apply Silvikrin Volume & Hold mousse to your damp hair and distribute evenly throughout the hair. (A lot of people put their mousse in their wet hair straight out of the shower. But Michael says this is much better.)
• 3.Start blow drying the hair using a medium sized round brush. The smaller the brush the more of a curl/wave you'll get.
• 4.Blow dry all the hair away from the head. The old trick of blow drying with your head upside down really does work.
• 5.With each section, once the hair is dried, leave the brush (with the hair wrapped round it) in the hair for 10 seconds to cool down. This will help fix your volume and prolong its life.
• 6.To finish, tip the head upside down and blast with Silvikrin Shine & Hold hairspray. Use your fingers to tease your hair into style.

Best piece of kit for volume

Velcro rollers are No 1 for adding body and very easy to use. Simply pop them in your hair after you’ve blow dried and leave them there for 10/15 minutes while you get on with giving the kids breakfast or whatever you have to do. Try this: Just make sure that, if it’s volume rather than curl you’re after, you choose rollers that aren’t too small. As a guide, Michael says you shouldn’t be able to wrap your hair around a roller more than one and a half times.

Best quick fix for volume

We all know that dry shampoo is a perfect for those times when you haven’t had time to wash your hair, but did you know it’s a brilliant styling product too. In fact, it’s the secret of many a backstage stylist.

Best for lasting volume

What about keeping your style looking great all day long? There’s nothing worse than leaving the house with a swishy blowdry only to find your hair flat as a pancake half an hour later.

‘Moisture is the enemy,’ Michael laughs, ‘Make sure your hair is absolutely bone dry when you finish styling. Your styling products will also help act as a barrier to any moisture in the air.’

Best trick for volume

Backcombing is a great trick for getting instant volume into your hair. ‘Don’t backcomb the sides though,’ Michael says, ‘as this can look a bit 80s. Instead concentrate on the top and around the crown.’

Try this: Spritz each section lightly with hairspray and then backcomb gently with a wide-toothed comb before smoothing the hair on top.

Best cheat for volume

One ‘cheat’ that Michael loves is clip-in hair extensions. ‘People think they’re just for making hair longer, but they’re perfect for making hair look thicker too. Just make sure you buy good quality real hair ones.’

Putting them in is easy-peasy. Prep the section of your hair with a little hairspray, backcomb lightly and simply clip the extension in place.

A clever little trick

After blow drying, twist your hair into a loose ponytail at the crown. Then trap the ends of the ponytail into the band to form a loop. Leave for half an hour or so and then take out for a nice, natural big wave and lots of body.